"So can anyone tell me why we're having training with Legolas instead of the coach?" Someone on the archery team complained to Aragorn.
"It appears Coach is going to do trials today before training." Aragorn replied.
"But we all had to apply at the beginning of the school year!" Another person complained.
"We have a new transfer student, so it might be because of him." Aragon replied, he was vice captain and he was more friendly than stuck up Legolas so most people turned to him.
"Do you think we can swing by the archery range before training to take a look at the trails?" Another person asked.
"That's exactly what I'm planning to do." Aragorn admitted.
As the group was approaching the range, they saw the captain Legolas and his sister Tauriel already waiting at the range. Aragorn immediately noticed a person he never saw at the range before, one of his best friends Fili Durin.
One of the girl gasped noticing him, which was a typical reaction Fili got all around the school.
"Hey!" Aragon greeted Fili. "Your brother again?"
"Hey! Well you could say he's breaking the family tradition." Fili replied and shook his hand.
Aragon sat next to him, and rested his legs on the railing.
"So archery instead of fencing?" Aragorn asked with a smile.
"Kili is surprising in many ways." Fili admitted.
"Is he any good?"Aragon asked.
"I have no idea; he's trained for several years but in more realistic conditions than this." Fili admitted.
"Let's just watch." Fili smiled and turned his eyes to coach Celeborn talking to Kili on the range. He briefly wondered how the audience would influence Kili's performance. Kili glanced at the people sitting on the stand, but he could see only one person his beloved brother. It didn't matter somebody else was watching him shoot, he knew what he was doing and there was nothing which could influence his archery. The coach gave him some honest advice, Kili felt he was really given a fair chance, but he didn't need any advice. His mind was already fixed on the task; he could barely hear the coach in the background, and the muffled voices talking on the stand.
He saw the coach wish him good luck, and he watched him walk up the stand, the voices immediately went silent, not that it mattered for him. He was given five arrows, and a good bow. He adjusted the bow to his preferences, he glanced at the target.
He had a need to show off, to show off to the only person that mattered in his life. He wanted to show them what he could do. To make them shut up on that stand. Fili could see the difference even from afar. Kili was focused like never before in his presence, it was as if he was a different person altogether, strong and confident. He was confident in what he was doing Fili realised even before Kili took the first arrow. He knew he would hit the target.
The Coach crossed his brows seeing the near perfect stance, his experience was already telling him the slim firm arms of the boy indicated he had lots of training.
"So is that your new boyfriend?" Legolas taunted Fili sitting right behind him.
"No, that's my brother." Fili quietly answered at the same time as Kili shot for the first time.
"Bull's-eye!" One of the girls squeaked in surprise.
Fili watched with sparking eyes as Kili turn to him proud, he really did shoot it right in the centre. Their eyes met for a split second and at the same time Kili took out a second arrow, his eyes were provocative, as if saying to Fili "look what I can do".
In a very swift motion Kili set the bow again, and before anyone could blink the arrow right in the centre of the target was split in half.
"Pure luck!" Legolas was irritated looking at the boy.
But then Kili shot with precision three more arrows in a row. Celeborn laughed seeing all the arrows in the middle of target.
"I haven't seen that old school trick done so perfectly for ages!" The old Coach seemed to have the time of his life. He started to clap for the boy, who now was looking patiently at the stand. The Coach was sure the boy was looking at him, but in fact he was looking Fili straight into the eyes. The people on the stand were slowly grasping what they saw and most started clapping with the coach.
"We have trainings every Tuesday, Thursday at half past three and Saturday at ten." The Coach told the boy approaching him on the range again. "You're welcome to stay with us today as well."
"I'd like that." The boy shyly answered, and the coach heard his voice for the first time, Gandalf had warned him about the special needs of this boy.
"Come I'll introduce you to our captain and vice captain." The Coach guided him towards the stand.
"This is Legolas." Coach pointed towards a tall blond boy.
"And this is Aragorn." He pointed to a senior student with dark long hair.
"Team, Kili is going to join the team starting today. Legolas you're going to train together. In two weeks we're going to choose the school representation for the Archery League, so everyone step up your game." The Coach firmly instructed them.
Kili glanced at Fili questioningly, but his brother immediately nodded and smiled so he stopped thinking and focused on the coach and training.
Legolas was ice cold towards him, but Kili didn't really care. He went through school, so he knew how unfriendly people could be. He just did what he was best; he kept shooting to his heart's delight.
Tauriel was really surprised with the handsome dark-haired Durin boy. He shot as well as Legolas, and probably as well as she did. She knew there were several good people on their team, but no one ever matched up with Legolas. She knew her brother had a problem with Fili Durin, there was some kind of competition influenced by their parent's ill relations, but looking at the younger Durin she felt like becoming very friendly. He was as handsome as his older brother Fili, and the number of girls glancing at the older Durin was hilariously huge. She always wondered why any girl would behave like that, and now looking at the younger Durin she finally understood. If she wanted to get a move, she decided to it fast before all the girls set a target on him.
"Hi I'm Tauriel!" She greeted the boy as he was watching the other members of the team shoot.
"Hi, I'm Kili." The boy shyly replied.
"So where did you learn how to shoot like that?" She asked with a friendly smile.
"Alaska." He replied curtly not going into details.
"That's far away." She noticed. "I've been there two years ago, my father loves hunting trips and wildlife."
"Wildlife and hunting don't go together." He noticed sternly looking straight at her with coldness in his eyes.
Fili watched them talk from afar and he felt jealous. He knew Tauriel was considered a very pretty girl, she was his age and she was on the same team. Fili felt like killing her right there on that spot.
As the training was slowly finishing Aragorn came over and they chatted a bit, soon Kili joined them.
"Ready to go home?" Fili asked him with a smile.
"Before you both go, tonight we're playing basketball so drop by Gimli's place around six if you want to join." Aragorn invited them both.
"I'll call you later if we decide to come!" Fili replied and they headed towards the car.
"Would you like to go?" Fili asked Kili as they got into the car.
"No sure, what are those meetings like?" Kili asked unsure.
"Well it's usually my mates like Aragorn, Gimli, Boromir his brother Faramir, rarely Legolas, Eomer and some people from school. Some are my good friends, but other like Legolas not really. So from time to time I go and play with them, but not every time. I don't drink because of what happened to mom, so well I'm not all that fun for them." Fili slowly explained. "I show up, play a bit, hang out a bit and get lost before the real party starts."
"I'm never going to drink anything either." Kili suddenly told him.
"You're too young anyway..." Fili chuckled.
"Is it going to be okay if I train with the team? I hope I'm not ruining your schedule..." Kili changed the topic.
"Nah, it's fine, you're going to have to adjust to my schedule as well. I train every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the fencing team or martial arts team. So it seems we'll both be sitting at school everyday till at least six." Fili dully informed him. "When you're training I'll be studying, and you should do the same when I'm training, at least we won't have to spend all day at home studying."
"We might if I get low grades." Kili suddenly whispered with terror.
"Don't worry, if you get into trouble I'll always find time to help you." Fili reassured him calmly.
When they reached the house, Kili turned to Fili just before they got out.
"Can I ask you one thing?" Kili gently ask hesitation tainting his voice.
"You can always ask whatever you feel like." Fili told him.
"If I weren't here, would you have gone to the meeting?" Kili asked all of a sudden.
"Probably." Fili answered cautiously.
"Let's go then." Kili made the decision.
When they entered the house Thorin was gone again, so Fili suggested the swimming pool as a past time. This time Kili didn't feel as bad as the last time, Fili had seen his back already so there was no shy secret to hide.
Fili focused on Kili's swimming and gave him some tips how to improve. Later they just swam and trained a bit. After a shower they went into the kitchen to prepare a late lunch. Fili could only chop the vegetable, but Kili guided him what to do. Thorin came home as the late lunch was served, so he just smiled and said they didn't have to wait for him.
"We didn't." Fili admitted guiltily. "We went swimming after coming home, so it was just a coincidence."
"I'm hungry!" Thorin just smiled at him. "So I'm really glad you guys lost track of time and made a very late lunch."
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?' Thorin asked.
"We're going to some kind of basketball match with Fili's friends." Kili finally spoke up.
"At Gimli's?" Thorin asked.
"Yeah!" Fili admitted.
"He's actually a distant cousin of yours." Thorin told the surprised Kili.
"So we've got more family?" He asked after a moment.
"Distant family." Thorin admitted. "My father was an only child, and so was his father. But my mother had two sisters, so that's where we get Gimli's family and Dain's family."
"Dain is an ass." Fili told Kili with a smirk. "You really don't want to meet him."
"But Gimli is really cool." Thorin admitted. "His father Gloin is of the few family members I actually like."
"We probably should introduce Kili to the rest of the family." Fili suddenly told Thorin.
"Actually I was thinking of leaving that till Christmas." Thorin told them. "We'll go to Erebor, and we'll see them all over there anyway. Dwalin and Balin will be back from Russia, and Dain and the whole family is going to be there as well."
Kili looked at him pleadingly. "We can't avoid it." Thorin told him gently. "But don't worry I'm the head of the family, and I'm not going to let anyone do or say anything bad to you."
"I'll keep an eye on you." Fili winked at his brother and watched him smile.
"Since you're both leaving later, let's spend some time together the three of us. Somehow you both end up together all the time, so I feel left out." Thorin joked about their bonding process. "You'll have enough time together when I go back to work full time."
"So what do you propose uncle?" Fili ask him with a smile.
"Cards?" Thorin asked with a smile.
Kili's eyes light up and he smiled carefree. "I love cards."
"So do we." Fili admitted.